CULTURAL FORCES LAB

Interested in Cultural Forces?

RaRole
Apprehension

Ra

Role
Apprehension

cultural force

Traditional rites of passage that defined ‘adult status’ no longer carry much weight. There is no defined 'age' when people are supposed to get married, have children, or simply become an 'adult'. Moving from one stage to the next is increasingly confusing and uncertain.

human response

Uncertain of when we are supposed to do what, we look for brands to cue that we are indeed 'adults', 'parents' or sometimes, still young at heart.

Interested in Brands?

SrSensorial
Real

In this campaign "Free, Air, Life", Canada Goose signals the real in many ways. 'Real fur' coats named for 'real' towns (e.g. Chilliwack Bomber) and the ‘real’ feeling of Canada’s harsh biting cold and howling winds. Everything reinforces being built to fully protect us from the harshness of the real sensorial world of northern winters.

Analysis:

SrSensorial
Real

Honda’s Aryton Senna ad manages to connect abstract cutting-edge engineering and the simple sensory experience of that technology through our eyes and ears. Our sense experience becomes an undeniable reason to believe in the brand’s credentials and performance in a highly commoditised automotive category.

Analysis:

RaRole
Apprehension

Shick’s “becoming my dad” campaign pokes light hearted fun at how unaware men are in their own transitions from being ‘young’ into becoming ‘dad’. It invites consumers to recognize that the ‘little things’ in their lives that are changing are shared by other men out there and to laugh in their recognition that the transition into adulthood happens in spite of us.

Analysis:

EpEnhancing
Performance

Gatorade’s campaign of win from within’ delivers on enhanced performance on two levels. The ingredients in Gatorade replenish important components needed for the physical body. The brand also promises those that drink it also have an inherent personal drive go above and beyond everyday human limits. Only those ready for a better, tougher, more committed ‘self’ drink Gatorade.

Analysis:

IyInfinite
Youth

PS4’s Perfect Day campaign displays the power unleashed when adults honour their imaginative streaks and ‘just play’. The Campaign demonstrates that the PS4 experience offers the opportunity to explore new terrains, take on flexible identities and master multiple realities, all while players are able to respect their inner ‘kid’.

Analysis:

PbPorous
Bodies

The ‘I Will’ Campaign from Under Armour effectively suggests how a human body’s performance will be enhanced through the better regulation, control and removal of bodily secretion. The boundary between the internal and external is carefully maintained, providing a critical edge to the competition in the field.

Analysis:

PcPhilanthropic
Consumption

Toms Shoes’ “One for One” campaign creates the opportunity for consumers to alleviate the moral reservations associated with consumption by taking care of the logistical barriers of doing good. Tom’s distinctive ‘look’ further enables consumers to display their performance of ‘good citizenship’ and moral virtue to others.

Analysis:

ReRe
Enchantment

Tesla’s “insane button” enchants us. Offering no more explanation than it being ‘insane,’ when pressed it sends the car into a blinding speed. On the surface it is nothing like the cars we know or understand. Consumers delight in this new experience -the experience of the speed, the silence of the engine- and imagine new possibilities of movement, flow, and bodily engagement with the modern world.

Analysis:

MmMultiplying
Masculinities

The Las Vegas brand has long been celebrating the rebellion of leaving it all behind, through their campaign of “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.” Today, Las Vegas has pushed beyond just escaping from the pressures of daily life through partying and gambling, into imagining that a trip to Vegas is an opportunity to break free from out-dated and sometimes stifling gender conventions.

Analysis:

EeExtreme
Experience

Captain Morgan’s re-launched its popular Rum brand in 2010 with the campaign ‘Got a Little Captain in You?’. In this ad, the protagonist artfully dodges his responsibilities through quick thinking and deception. The men emerge triumphant and able to carry on their male bonding.

IyInfinite
Youth

Captain Morgan’s re-launched its popular Rum brand in 2010 with the campaign ‘Got a Little Captain in You?’. In this ad, the protagonist artfully dodges his responsibilities through quick thinking and deception. The men emerge triumphant and able to carry on their male bonding.

Analysis:

TtTransparency
for Trust

McDonalds’ recent social media campaign ‘Our Food. Your Questions.’ has been applauded for its transparency in addressing ‘fast’ and ‘Franken-food’ anxieties head on. Giving a face and voice for the brand’s perspective, drawing from actual customer questions, and opening up to real social media dialogue all tap into the forces of transparency, trust and authenticity.

Analysis:

HaHistorical
Authenticity

Budweiser has successfully retained a strong connection with consumers as a traditional brand – ‘The King of Beers.’ It’s ongoing use of Clydesdale horses in advertising harkens back to the brand’s heritage, and through its continuity the ‘old fashioned’ values they bring forth today, in appealing to the nostalgic but antiquated delivery horse and simpler times.

Analysis:

EeExtreme
Experience

Doritos Roulette has been a successful line extension for the brand. One chip in every handful is spicy hot. Capitalizing on the shared experience, this snack food has made an intimate connection with the socially charged extreme and challenge culture at play today. It presents the brand experience as a test or rite of passage, with an element of randomness and risk, that addresses the cultural force in an approachable, bite-sized way.

Analysis:

PtProteurism

Arduino celebrates the promise of DIY expertise, speaking to both engineers and engineers at-heart. Simultaneously anti-corporate and amateur, it uses open-source to that let users build their own hardware to operate such things as functioning robots. Fundamentally, the Arduino brand is about re-capturing a sense of possibilities outside of realm of true expertise, couched in an ethos of openness.

Analysis:

MrMaster of
Reality

Rogers has differentiated their brand in this campaign by going from “home security” system to a “home monitoring system” that is “always connected, always close.” Rather than simply protecting our things, it is about establishing control and extending personal reach in an increasingly complex world.

Analysis:

CcCurated
Capitalism

This Trunk Club ad is centered around a promise of delivering a personal style that allows you to be your best, without the hassle of having the make difficult choices. Your personal stylist will always work to ensure you have the best options to choose from in presenting your most important version of yourself to the outside world. And you never have to leave your home, or take a break from the activities that help define who you are.